The Damned, 'The Only Real Punk Band', Confirm Australian Tour

The Damned, the UK gothic punk legends who Motörhead’s Lemmy Kilmister notoriously referred to them as “the only real punk band,” have announced a June Australian tour.

The band are often regarded alongside The Clash and Sex Pistols as a seminal force in driving the genre’s popularity thanks to their frenetic fusion of punk rock, gothic influences and dark lyrics. 

The Damned will kick off their Australia/New Zealand tour with a stop at Auckland’s Powerstation on Friday, 2 June, before heading to Wellington the following night. From there, the band head to Adelaide on Monday, 5 June, Brisbane two days later, and Sydney on Thursday, 8 June.

Melbourne fans, don’t fret: The Damned are part of this year’s RISING Festival and will perform at the Forum on Friday, 9 June. 

Their RISING date will see the band lead an incredible double bill with US doom metal supergroup Witch (featuring J Mascis of Dinosaur Jr, Kyle Thomas aka King Tuff, David Sweetapple of Teepee Records, and Aussie Graham Clise of Annihilation Time and ROT TV) supported by Melbourne experimental industrial duo Vacuum. In a word: heavy.

Formed in 1976, The Damned’s career spans over four decades, releasing numerous acclaimed albums, including Damned Damned Damned, Machine Gun Etiquette, and Phantasmagoria. The upcoming tour will see the band perform classic hits as well as tracks from their forthcoming album, DARKADELIC, set for release on 28 April.

The Damned’s upcoming tour is only the band’s fourth visit to Australia; their most recent stop here was in March 2017.

Tickets are on sale Friday, 17 March at 11 am AEDT, but eager fans can get early access to pre-sale tickets from Thursday, 16 March by signing up here.

THE DAMNED 

Australia & New Zealand Tour Dates:

Fri 2 June – Auckland, Powerstation 

Sat 3 June – Wellington, San Fran

Mon 5 June – Adelaide, The Gov

Wed 7 June – Brisbane, Princess Theatre

Thu 8 June – Sydney, Metro Theatre

Fri 9 June - Melbourne, Forum Theatre (as part of RISING Festival, find tickets here)